君子不器
From the Pogues to Lolita, a tale of literary revenge What does the Pogues’ Christmas song “Fairytale of New York” have to do with Lolita? The trail links at oblique angles but leads to a story of betrayal, obscenity, and revenge that would have pleased Nabokov, if only he had lived to hear it.
Chindōgu (珍道具) Kawakami Kenji’s (川上 賢司, 1946-2019) “Ten Tenets of Chindōgu”: 1) Chindōgu cannot be for real use, 2) Chindōgu must exist, 3) Inherent in every Chindōgu is the spirit of anarchy, 4) Chindōgu are tools for everyday life, 5) Chindōgu are not for sale, 6) Humor must not be the sole reason for creating…